Birthstones, history and symbolism

From the first time people discovered gemstones, they were amazed by their beauty and grace. They understood right from the start that they were unlike any other rocks they could see every day. So they started looking for an explanation and a reason why these precious stones were present on Earth.

This has puzzled many people throughout history and yielded to numerous conclusions that were themselves mysterious and romantic. Some said that they were a gift from gods. Others believed they were actually stolen from them. Ancient priest used gems to worship the divinity.

Besides the religious importance, some theories suggested that gems have curative capabilities or even help increase sexuality.

Birthstones were first introduced in the cultures of antiquity as a form of standardization to make it easier for the elite of that time to understand the importance and the role of each stone. They attributed to each of the twelve months of the year a certain precious stone. Thus the wealthy ones could now purchase gems that now had an even more important meaning for them, as they were correspondent to the month they were born in.

Gemstones are almost as old as Earth. Some date back 3.5 or 4 billion years. They are older than the first man or the dinosaurs. This fact has also added to the fascination that people had for them.

Nowadays, birthstone jewels as popular as ever. People love to have something that old them that we’ve been on this planet only for a short period.

Why are there more than one birth stone for each month?

That's because the way the stones were organized evolved over the millennia. The current birthstone list was standardized in 1912 by an international meeting of jewelers associations.

Another reason for this is the fact that antique civilizations organized the birth stones differently. The roman birth stones were different from those of the Hebrews or the Sumerians.